Need For Speed: World - video game review

Today, the Need for Speed ​​video game series has moved away from the nighttime street racing theme started by Need for Speed ​​Underground. Games in this style sold well until Undercover, which sold "only" five million copies. This is not so much, considering that the previous parts could reach up to 9-10 million pieces. This meant that Electronic Arts decided to move away from the theme inspired by the film "Fast and the Furious", creating, among other things, Shift. However, this brand has not been completely broken. Need for Speed: World was created quite recently.

The game returns to the Underground, Most Wanted and Carbon game-type, focusing on illegal racing and escaping from the police. The main change, however, is that World is multiplayer-only and is sort of the automotive equivalent of World of Warcraft, the best-selling (and addictive!) MMORPG game. The playground features the interconnected cities of Rockport and Palmont, known for their Most Wanted and Carbon. To start your adventure with the World, you need to download the game client and create an account.

The business model is completely different from other games in the series: World was not released in a boxed version for PC and consoles. Products appeared only on computers and were focused on multiplayer games. Initially, the player could buy the game in a boxed version, but it was quickly withdrawn and Need For Speed ​​World became available for free a few months later. However, a microtransaction system was introduced.

The gameplay in NFS: World is purely arcade - cars drive as if stuck to the road, you just need to slow down on turns, you can easily enter a controlled skid using the handbrake and just as easily get out of it. The game does not claim to be a simulator - it even has power-ups like nitro or a road magnet that sticks to our opponent as civilian cars drive around the city. During chases, you can also automatically repair broken tires and create a protective shield in front of the police. As we progress through the game, new skills appear: each victory brings us closer to the next level of experience, giving us access to new races, cars, parts and skills. The system of such extensive power-ups is new to the series, but in racing games it is an old, tried and true way to make the game more attractive. If not for these special skills, the mechanics of the game would be the same as in other works of the Black Box studio.

The fun in the game lies in the fight for money and prestige with other users. The player is automatically logged into one of the servers and can start playing with other people with the same level of experience. The gameplay is reduced to participation in competitions: drugs and racing in a circle. The gameplay mechanics weren't geared towards co-op city races like in the Test Drive Unlimited series. It's a pity, because thanks to this, a community of people who loved to drive around sunny Hawaii or Ibiza has developed around Eden Games. Unfortunately, in NFS: World, players' cars interpenetrate each other, and few people are interested in driving around the city together. More interaction between players is possible, for example through the launch of an auction house that will sell cars customized by players. Unfortunately, communication between players is mostly limited to using chat.

The only kind of racing can be chases, which look the same as in Most Wanted or Carbon. In the beginning, we are pursued by a lone police car, when we do not stop for inspection, more cars join, then a search is organized: roadblocks and heavy SUVs enter the battle, the drivers of which want to ram us. Despite the low intelligence of law enforcement officers, the escape is not the easiest.

Unfortunately, in general, the game can be described as unsatisfactory. An underdeveloped, very simple driving model can not be attributed to categorical shortcomings, because this is an arcade game designed to attract crowds of people, but the low difficulty of driving makes NFS: World quickly boring.

We may have dozens of cars in our garage: JDM classics (Toyota Corolla AE86, Nissan 240SX), American muscle cars (Dodge Charger R/T, Dodge Challenger R/T) as well as European racing cars such as Lotus Elise 111R or Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. Many of the best cars are only available with SpeedBoost points (an in-game currency) that must be purchased with real money.

We buy glasses in packages and so: 8 thousand each. We will pay 50 PLN points, in the largest package 17,5 thousand. and costs 100 zł. There are, of course, also smaller denominations: from 10 zlotys (1250) to 40 zlotys (5750) inclusive. Unfortunately, car prices are high: Murciélago LP640 costs 5,5 thousand. SpeedBoost, that is almost 40 PLN. Similar money has to be spent on a Dodge Viper SRT10, Corvette Z06 "Beast" Edition or a police Audi R8. Half that amount is paid for an Audi TT RS 10, a tuned Dodge Charger SRT8 or a Lexus IS F. Thankfully, it's not the case that all the best cars are only available in micropayments. In each of the groups you can find a free vehicle with very good performance. This, for example, Nissan GT-R (R35), Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 or Subaru Impreza WRX STi. After all, if we're willing to keep uploading, wins will be much easier on the faster, toll cars, which are unfortunately extremely expensive. Luckily you can rent a car. The fastest one (Corvette Z06) costs 300 SuperBoost points per day of driving. The points can also be used to buy multipliers that will allow us to get to the experience level faster.

As it should be in the game "Fast and the Furious", each of our cars can be mechanically and visually tuned. Cars are described by three parameters: speed, acceleration and handling. Performance can be increased by installing turbochargers, new gearboxes, suspensions and tires. For winning races, we get parts and buy them in the workshop.

Every PC game focused on online gameplay should have relatively low hardware requirements in order to attract not only good computer owners, but also users of older PCs and laptops to the game. This also applies to the reviewed product, which is based on the well-known Carbona graphics engine (the game was released in 2006. In a word, the graphics look average, but they work decently on most computers that are several years old.

Advertised as a free-to-play game, Need for Speed: World may elicit a very positive response from people familiar with the series, but the reality is relentless. While the core gameplay is truly free, Electronic Arts makes money from microtransactions that create disproportion between players. If this does not bother someone, it will be nice to spend a few to ten hours. Unfortunately, in terms of performance and game mechanics, the game does not stand out above average, so spending money on SpeedBoost points is not a good idea in my opinion. For 40 zł, which we would spend on one of the fast cars, we can buy a decent racing game that will have better performance and, last but not least, a free multiplayer mode. These can be, for example, similar in gameplay concepts of Blur or Split/Second, or slightly more realistic Need For Speed: Shift or many, many other works. World is another example that we can't get anything for free from a major publisher. Everywhere there is a latch that will allow you to get to the player's wallet. Fortunately, we are not forced to spend money to be able to play, so the Electronic Arts initiative should be considered a step in the right direction. Now you need to focus on better performance, because World is no different from other racing games, and even behind in terms of technology.